Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco spent much of Tuesday night’s show at Oakland’s Fox Theater atop a small raised platform at center stage. There he stood, or danced or pranced, literally head and shoulders above all the other musicians.

The scene served as a metaphor for this 29-year-old Chicago rapper’s overall ability as a live performer. For in the land of hip-hop, no one stands taller onstage than Fiasco. Continue Reading →

Working as a music critic in the Bay Area is a lot like being a kid in a candy store – 365 days a year. Fortunately, I have a major sweet tooth for live music.

As per usual, I saw some 175-200 concerts over the year, and there were still some shows I’m sorry I missed. The following is a recap of the 10 best I witnessed in 2008.

I’d love to read about your top picks, as well as the cellar dwellers, from the past 12 months. Please post your comments.

The Top 10:

1, Bruce Springsteen, April 5, HP Pavilion, San JoseIt seems cliché to state that Springsteen put on the year’s best concert, given that he’s arguably the most dependable live act in the business. On this night – as well as the prior evening at Arco Arena in Sacramento – the Boss and his E Street Band took their game to a level that I haven’t seen them reach in years. It definitely topped what Springsteen delivered during his previous local outing (October 2007 at Oracle Arena in Oakland).

2, Martina McBride, Aug. 8, Sleep Train Pavilion, ConcordFans can always count on a memorable ride when McBride is behind the wheel. In Concord, the stunningly attractive vocalist handled a wide assortment of material, from country standards to recent radio hits to classic-rock covers, and thrilled the crowd at each turn. The evening further underscored this critic’s assessment that McBride is the single best reason to follow modern mainstream country.

3, Patti Smith, Oct. 20, Warfield, San FranciscoWhen Smith is really on – like she was during this concert celebrating the birthday of French poet Arthur Rimbaud – it’s exceedingly hard to succinctly sum up what happens onstage. It’s a swirling, and winning, mix of punk rock, poetry and personality that seems to defy standardized classification. The only description that really works is to call it “pure Patti.”

4, R.E.M./Modest Mouse, May 31, U.C. Greek, Berkeley“Tonight is your night,” Michael Stipe told the crowd early in the show. “I’m happy to be here to share it with you.” The vocalist then continued on to lead R.E.M. through a mesmerizing 27-song set that seemed tailor-made for longtime fans. The group flipped through its enormous catalog, moving from the 1983 debut “Murmur” up through the excellent new album “Accelerate,” and came up with only aces. Modest Mouse set the table for what was the best one-two punch found on any rock tour this year.

5, Jay-Z/Mary J. Blige, April 20, Oracle Arena, Oakland
This co-headlining show, featuring the man generally regarded as the king of rap and the reigning “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul,” was a royal good time. Coming into the concert, everyone knew that Blige would bring it – she always does. The revelation was the performance by Jay-Z. He’s been known to mail it in onstage, but he managed to rise to Blige-like heights this time around.

6, Cowboy Junkies, April 28, Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, OaklandThe Canadian group spent much of the year celebrating the 20th anniversary of its landmark “The Trinity Sessions,” a work that ranks among my all-time favorite records. Yet, Margo Timmins and her fellow Junkies didn’t seem all that interested in nostalgia on this night. Instead, they turned their passion toward their most recent album, 2007’s stunningly beautiful “At the End of Paths Taken.”

7, TV on the Radio, Nov. 9, WarfieldThe Brooklyn band’s latest studio set, “Dear Science,” is the trendy (and very worthy) pick for album of the year. Those critics/cheerleaders should see TVOTR in concert, a setting where the band’s experimental art-rock sound translates even more fully than it does in the studio.

8, Brian Wilson, Sept. 5, Paramount Theatre, Oakland
A mere 500 or so fans turned out to see this pop-music titan perform at the 3,000-plus-capacity venue. What the masses missed, perhaps in favor of re-watching old “American Idol” recordings, was the kind of “Fun, Fun, Fun” that only the former Beach Boys leader can deliver.

9, Michael Buble, May 3, HP Pavilion, San JoseThe best surprise of the year, for this critic, was to see how well Buble’s old-school nightclub shtick translates in a gargantuan arena. The young crooner definitely gets what it means to be an entertainer. In that sense, he’s truly following in the footsteps of such role models as Ol’ Blue Eyes and Tony Bennett.

10, Lupe Fiasco, Jan. 13, Fillmore
The year got off to a high note with this fine showing by the young rap sensation. He only had two full-length albums to pull from, yet he still managed to captivate the crowd for more than two hours. This was no fluke – a few months later at the HP Pavilion, Fiasco would steal the show as the opening act on Kanye West’s “Glow in the Dark Tour.”

Lupe turned another strong outing, in front of a huge arms-in-the-air-waving crowd at Outside Lands. He was a strong, definitely “Cool,” but the set wasn’t quite as impressive as when I saw him headline the Fillmore earlier this year or when he opened for Kanye West some months back. He pretty much kicked Kanye’s butt at that show.

It’s still early, but I’d be surprised if I see anything at Outside Lands that impresses me more the Coup’s set. It’s always the same deal with this East Bay troupe, led by genius rapper Boots Riley. Whether they are playing Coachella or Rock the Bells or, now, Outside, they always seem to outshine the competition.

The band’s niche, one which seems so hard for others to master, is to create music that is equally powerful to your booty and your brain. You dance to the grooves, but the lyrics stick in your head and provide food for thought. Boots is a great front man, who reminds of me of Sly or Prince (and, yes, I realize that those comparisons are quite hefty).Continue Reading →

Big day. Big night. Back to the hotel, having survived the transportation issues and found time for Mexican food. Had a quesadilla, in case you care.

Watching a little Olympics (the American baseball team just took an 8-4 lead against the Japanese team – “USA. USA. USA!”). But ready to turn in. First, however, I thought I’d give you a preview of what might likely show up on the blog role tomorrow (Saturday, I mean), as far as Outside Lands coverage goes.Continue Reading →

You don’t need us to tell you about Radiohead, Tom Petty and Jack Johnson. Yet there are nearly 70 acts scheduled to perform during the three-day festival. If you don’t plan accordingly, you’re likely to miss some of the best stuff.

That’s where we can help. Here’s a short list of some of the lesser-known but can’t-miss acts at the 2008 Outside Lands Festival:

Friday

Steel Pulse (5 p.m., Lands End Stage): Having been around now for nearly 40 years, Steel Pulse is one of the world’s most respected roots-reggae bands. (JH)

Felice Brothers (6:10 p.m., Presidio Stage): If you don’t want to brave the big crowd for the pan-global sounds of Manu Chao, check out this all-American band from upstate New York that suggests a wilder, woolier version of the Band. (SQ)Continue Reading →

The gigantic Outside Lands festival is right around the corner. The three-day music event, set for Aug. 22-24 at SF’s Golden Gate Park, will draw tens of thousands of people and is projected to be one of the biggest concert events EVER held in Northern California.

The lineups for all three days are solid. As you might expect, I’ll be there all three days, reviewing for the papers and posting regularly online. (And, yes, I do have the best job EVER!) But what if I could only attend one of the days? Which one would I pick?Continue Reading →

Kanye West, June 6.
Having rocked the house back in April, Kanye West finds his way once again to San Jose for a repeat performance. The rapper is promoting his latest Grammy-winning effort, â€œGraduation,â€ and heâ€™s touring with a great cast of characters, including Rihanna and Lupe Fiasco. 7 p.m. HP Pavilion, 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose, $39.50-$75, 510-625-TIXS, 925-685-TIXS or 415-421-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com.

Brad Mehldau, June 6.
Brad Mehldau will make you reconsider what you think you already know about jazz piano. As the leader of the acclaimed Brad Mehldau Trio, this immensely talented pianist moves from exploring jazz standards to reinventing contemporary pop pieces. As far as the latter goes, Mehldauâ€™s version of Radioheadâ€™s â€œExit Music (For a Film)â€ is particularly satisfying. 8 p.m., Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., $25-$58, 866-920-5299, www.sfjazz.org.Continue Reading →

The daily line-ups and first artist additions are officially out of the bag for the Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival taking place in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, Earth, on August 22, 23 & 24, 2008.

The Glow in the Dark Tour is one of the most potent R&B/hip-hop packages in recent history. Kanye West, the headliner, is truly only part of the draw. Fans also came to the tourâ€™s stop at the HP Pavilion in San Jose on Saturday night to see Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D. and, especially, the red-hot Rihanna.

Here are some of the highlights from these artistsâ€™ opening sets:

Lupe Fiasco
In some ways, the young rapperâ€™s all-too-brief offering on Saturday was even more impressive than his great, 2-hour-plus headlining gig back in January at the Fillmore. He was the first act to take the HP stage, had to perform in front of crowd members who were still finding their seats and were somewhat unfamiliar with the material, yet he still managed to hit a homerun with terrific versions of such songs as “Superstar” and “Daydreamin’.â€

This kid has mad skills on the microphone, far surpassing what King Kanye can deliver, and he definitely lived up to the title of his song â€œThe Coolestâ€ in San Jose. What would have been really cool is if West had called Lupe back onstage during the headlining set for â€œTouch the Sky,â€ so Fiasco could have reprised his rap from the recorded version. Alas, it didnâ€™t happen.

N.E.R.D.
This funky band, which made a strong showing at this yearâ€™s South by Southwest music festival in Texas, made yet another convincing case in San Jose for why it should be considered among hip-hopâ€™s elite live acts.

Powered by two strong percussionists, N.E.R.D. spliced together elements of rock, rap and soul in ways that most so-called hybrid bands never manage to approach. The group, featuring multi-talented Pharrell Williams on vocals, has a new album due in June. Judging from what we heard at this show, the record should be a winner.

Rihanna
Sure, at times this set felt a little like a countdown to â€œUmbrella.â€ Yet, that has nothing to do with Rihannaâ€™s talent level and everything to do with the strength of that chart-topping hit, which was reportedly the biggest-selling single in the world last year.

The 20-year-old vocalist was charismatic and vastly entertaining as she powered through such selections as â€œShut Up and Driveâ€ and â€œHate That I Love You.â€ If you have to ask what the highlight of her set was, we suggest you go back and read the previous paragraph.